“The phone
seems to be in
Manny’s house.”
Chapter-74
The beam from the flashlight danced from the hard dirt to the long
,
black case and then to the half-opened shoulder bag that leaked the cell phone’s LCD light. Manny took two more steps in his crouched position and touched the case. No mistak
ing
what it contained. He’d seen a sniper’s rifle a time or two and knew how they were packaged.
The large
,
gray handbag contained more than just the phone. Much more. There was a black leather ensemble fit for any hooker on any street. But that wasn’t the worst thing. The four
-
inch stilettos had traces of a dark-red, almost black substance that he already knew was blood. The
metallic
smell sealed it.
There was something else in the bag, the grand prize
:
a .22 handgun.
He touched his throbbing ribcage and felt his mind, his imagination, swirl out of control.
What
’s
the rifle doing here? What
’s
any of this doing here?
Not wanting to taint evidence, he scooted back to the opening and lifted himself out. He had to call Alex and have him bring his kit. The secret identity of the last member of the Justice Club lies in that crawlspace
. . .
in
his
house. The world
was
going crazy. Even worse was where his thoughts were rushing.
Brushing off his khaki shorts, he turned the overhead light on and the flashlight off.
What the hell
is
happening here? How would someone get that gear down there without
Louise or
me
noticing?
There couldn’t have been anyone home.
Not to mention, it would
’
ve had been placed there after Louise’s ordeal
,
so it couldn’t have been there longer than sixty hours. Unless
. . .
His mind
sprinted
to where it logically
had no choice
but
to go
.
Louise?
How ridicul
ou
s
is
tha
t?
My
wife?
But Manny couldn’t rid himself of t
hat feeling of denial basking in a truth he didn’t want to
ac
knowledge
. It
attacked like a hungry wolf, and he had to clasp his hands together to stop from clenching them.
He hated how his brain worked, but there was no denying the logic.
Ha
s
n’t she been acting a little off her game the last few weeks? Who would hide this stuff in
our
house but her?
Her reaction to Stella’s death
was
less than emotional to boot.
The pain in his ribs disappeared as
he paced back and forth.
My
wife a member of the Justice Club? A cold-blooded killer? The woman
I’ve
spent more than half
my
life with?
My
Rock?
He stopped his mind from racing and took in a calming breath. The facts didn’t support his wild dive into the deep end of the pool. First things first
:
he knew people and he sure as hell knew her. Next
,
there was a matter of being able to handle a rifle like that. Not on her resume. She’d also need opportunity
,
and he’d called her the night Stella
had
died. She’d been home.
Rubbing his face with both hands, he wondered how long he’d have his balls if she ever suspected
the
forbidden land
where
his thoughts
had
traveled
.
Probably a
bout as long as it would take
to
get the words out of his mouth. Maybe right after she gave him that
“
you
r
elevator doesn’t go to the top
”
look.
The feeling of uneasiness
c
ame racing back. Elevator metaphor notwithstanding, someone had
brought
that bag and rifle into his house. Who else besides him and his family had access? He and Louise needed to talk.
Suddenly he felt eyes watching him. He spun around and
. . .
Sampson
was looking at him, head cocked, with that look dogs universally coined as theirs
:
h
e really had to
take a leak
.
Manny
patted the dog on the head
and
let him out
the back. Then
he
went to the bedroom, opened the door, and st
ared
.
His wife usually slept like she was in a deep trance, but this time she was wide-eyed and blanketing his face with a look that melted his heart.
“Manny. What is it?” she whispered.
“I need
you to
come with me, okay?”
Silently, she picked her robe off the bedpost, their bedpost, and followed him into the spare room. It took everything he had to control the turmoil slapping his heart around.
Louise moved
a couple steps
to
ward
the trapdoor and stopped, taking his hand. He frowned.
She
is
afraid to go closer, yet
. . .
“What do you know about what’s down there?” he asked, almost inaudibly
.
“You mean my
piece of mind
? A piece of
hell
?
A piece of my soul?
” she was getting angry.
“I found a sniper’s rifle and a bag of bloody clothes, along with a cell phone
and a handgun
.
Someone
had to put i
t
there after we got you out.”
She let go of his hand and moved in front of him. “What are you talking about? Have you been drinking? There was nothing like that in there and how would I know what
a
sniper rifle
. . .”
His wife’s eyes grew large
. A
n
angry
, hurt
smile creas
ed
her beautiful face. “Manfred Robert Williams! How could you think such a thing?
Me? What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Louise
—
”
She stomped out of the room
,
then stomped back in.
“Are you flipping nuts?”
“Louise
,
I just
—
”
“Just what? The evidence led you down this path? I’m not a damn evidence
path;
I’m the woman you’ve been sleeping with for seventeen years.”
He grabbed her and pulled her tight. “Stop. I know you aren’t involved. I just wanted to ask if you had any idea how this stuff could’ve gotten here.”
“Oh.” Her gaze softened
,
and she put
her hands on both sides of his face,
pulling
him within an inch of her nose. “If
you found what you found
, then we have a problem because apparently our house is some kind of Grand Central Station for
deranged
killers.
I
also
have no idea how that stuff got down there, and that scares me. But you
almost had a
worse problem because
I
was going
to kick your ass for thinking I could be involved in those murders. A sniper’s rifle?
” Her eyes narrowed. “You never thought that, right?”
“I
—”
Then out of the blue, it hit him like those sudden bursts of truth do. “Shit. Sniper rifle. I should have put that together.”
He kissed Louise and ran to the phone.
“As usual, I don’t have a clue what just went though that head of yours, but you don’t get off that easy. That minefield for a brain isn’t getting you out of
answering my question
.”
He turned and kissed her again. “I’m an idiot, but I’m your idiot, and I love you.”
“Okay
.
maybe you’re digging yourself out a little. I’m going back to bed.
”
She patted her backside.
“
You’re not getting this until you answer my question, got it?
”
Then she
turned and disappeared into the bedroom.
Manny grinned. He’d explain himself later and hope it worked.
Reaching for the phone, he noticed the display said 12:57. The man wasn’t going to be happy, but maybe by this time tomorrow night, everyone would be sleeping better. He was sure
that
he was going to be.
He dialed the first five numbers before the knock on the door got his attention. He stopped dialing. It was probably one of the uniforms checking in because the lights were still on, per his instructions. He took the phone with him and finished dialing as he moved to the door. He grabbed his Glock with the other hand. The number continued to ring as he cradled the phone to his ear. He unlatched the dead bolt and pulled the door open.
Chapter-75
Alex and Sophie stood on the small
,
brick stoop leading to the front of his house. Manny didn’t care for the look on their faces. This felt wrong.
“
Out of whack
”
was an understatement. He opened the
screen
door. “What’s going on
, you two
?”
Alex fidgeted. “We need to talk. Can we come in?”
The nervous look
Alex
shot Sophie did little to ease the warnings going off in
Manny’s
mind. “Of course, but you didn’t answer my question.’
The shadow to Alex’s right came alive
, mimicking
some creepy science fiction parody
.
T
here was no one there,
and then
there was.
Sarah Sparks, Alex’s right hand tech, lifted the M9 military
-
issue Beretta
,
fitted
with a customized suppressor
,
so that he could see it clearly. “Hello
,
detective. We’re all going to have a little chat in your front room.”
He glanced across the street to the squad car. Sparks notice
d
.
“Oh
,
they won’t be of any help. I couldn’t afford to be interrupted.”
Her smile reminded him of Eli Jenkins, the serial killer they’d taken down on the
Ocean Duchess
. Not a good thing.
“You don’t seem to be too surprised to see me. Did the great Manny Williams figure things out?”
“Why don’t you just put that thing down and
—
”
“Shut the hell up and let me see the other hand, slowly.” She put the gun against the back of Sophie’s head. “Very slowly.”
“Hey heifer, watch the hair
.
This cut cost more than you make in a week,”
said
Sophie.
Sparks pushed harder. “Shut up, bitch. I’m tired of your mouth.”
Manny
wanted to make a move, only she never took her eyes from him. But then again,
S
pecial
O
ps were a talented bunch. He raised his hand, the Glock pointing down.
“Toss it.”
He did.
A minute later Sophie, Alex, and Manny were lined up on the sofa in his family room. The silence was crawling with a tension
Manny
recognized and hated. Someone was going to die.
“Sparky,” said Alex, breaking the choking silence. “Why are you doing this?”
Manny watched her dark eyes soften
like a lovesick teenager
. “You don’t know? Really?” She leaned closer to him, stroking his chin with her hand. “I’ll explain everything soon.
Just know it was for you. Always you.
”
She turned to Manny
,
her look reverting back to reflect her daughter-of-
evil
character
.